


Someday, I'll Earn Your Trust

by Yuanith



Series: Tales of Etheria [1]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Age Alteration, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Blood, Blood Drinking, Female Pronouns for Narukami Arashi, Fighting with Fears, Fluff, Kind of Magitek, M/M, Vampires, Wizards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:08:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26861161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuanith/pseuds/Yuanith
Summary: After five years of successful studies in a guild, Suou Tsukasa receives a job offer as an alchemist in Estaria, the city of magitechnicians - a new type of wizards focused entirely on developing new technology. His peaceful life gets cut short, however, as he meets the Royal Magician, Sakuma Ritsu, who reminds him of the nightmares that weren't allowing him to sleep for years after the tragedy of the Suou and Oukawa families.[First entrance of Etheria Series, featuring ritsukasa and knights+Anzu family because we all deserve it.]
Relationships: Sakuma Ritsu/Suou Tsukasa
Series: Tales of Etheria [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1959556
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh wow look, Yuanith is with her fantasy AUs back. I prefer a bit longer stories than one-shots and I love creating my worlds, so here we are, you can't tell me to stop (because I won't).  
> Etheria differs from SoM because it's going to be a collection of shorter stories for different pairings/friendships, connected by the setting. You can read one entry and don't fear losing any plot, because there is almost no major plot (yet, there might be some in the future because I sure love my angst lol). So enjoy the fluffies and jokes as it's still here, someday I might get you.  
> Or maybe somewhere in the final chapters of this story. I don't know, I don't know. 
> 
> Btw, this work is my contribution to the "let's make ritsukasa great again and get 50 works by the end of the year", so you're welcome. YES GUYS I'M FINALLY IN. Are you proud of me? ;q;  
> Also a reminder I'm not an English native and yall are my Betas, my SoM Beta has enough to deal with already, I want to give her some fluffy food to chill as well. owo  
> If you'll need me, my twitter is @enczelada - you can find my cc, carrd and stuff like that there. Enjoy~

”Congratulations on being accepted, Suou-kun!”

The news went around the guild much faster than Tsukasa expected and before he had time to read more about his future work, some of his friends from the year had already gathered, congratulating him on passing the finals and getting a job that fast. Hajime even brought some tea to make the celebrations even more enjoyable.

“Thank you very much, Hajime-kun,” Tsukasa nodded his head, sending a friendly smile. “I must say I am just as surprised since I didn’t even send any requests yet.”

“That means someone recognised you, right?” Tomoya scratched his chin. “Hm, maybe from New Zarya... If I remember correctly, you got your specialisation together with an upperclassman a year ago. Maybe he recommended you?” 

“Sadly I'm more than sure that’s not the case. I’ve received the A rank, while the lords in Zarya demand at least S-ranked magicians.”

Besides, as much as he learned a lot from Kagehira and they shared some goals, he wasn’t the easiest person to work with... But there was another person he could at least suspect. 

“I didn’t read the entire document yet, but it came from Estaria. If my memory serves right, Narukami-senpai is there, so maybe it’s thanks to her.”

“Estaria...” Tomoya’s eyes widened. “Man, you’re lucky one, it’s the capital of magitechnicians, we always wanted to visit that city at least once. Right, Hajime?”

“That’s true, I heard it’s beautiful and there’s so many teahouses… Ehehe, I’m so jealous of you~”

Truth to be told, he was just as happy to know he had a chance to see Estaria with his own eyes, but it was also reminding him that even after five years of hard work, he wasn’t good enough to become a magitechnician himself, which was one of his deepest dreams. It was still a new branch of magic, but they have already proved to be the hard working group - a new source of energy has been found after the war, so they moved with technical development with such a speed it was almost impossible to catch up with. Sadly, it also meant only a small part of magicians were good enough to join their group. 

At least Tsukasa has finished his studies as an alchemist specialist, meaning he could help them with energy resources. It still left him with a bad taste in his mouth, though. 

“I’m more than sure you two will get great opportunities,” Tsukasa smiled again. “Have you sent your requests yet?” 

“I’m finishing support and runes specialisations, but these days those aren’t the most promising…” Hajime took a sip from a cup with a sad face. “Uu, I can’t help but worry…”

“You’ll be good just as soon as they’ll see how a hard working person you are,” Tomoya patted his shoulder with a wide grin. “We’ll be good. There’s a lot of work in Alyora. When it comes to me, I hope they won’t send me somewhere too dangerous. Battle mages can even end in Yathor… That’s the last place I want to go. I heard the rumor Rebelia is getting out of hand again.”

His fears were understandable. The Empire of Etheria came to life after a brutal war between vampires and humans, which was divided for five big cities - Alyora, the main capital, where their guild was, and four smaller capitals of the north, east, west and south. Yathor was the southern city, where the Rebelia, an organisation who was against the vampires and the sudden technical development, was particularly problematic. Tomoya was on a good road to becoming a battle mage and depending on offensive and defensive abilities, he would either become a guardian here, in Alyora, or become a soldier, which for now were going to Yathor. If he was good enough, that is.

“Well, if they’ll move you to Yathor, you could meet Kohakun. Remember to greet him in my name.” 

“In no hell, go there yourself!” 

“Um... He went to Yathor?” Hajime interjected, seemingly surprised. “I thought you two would go together…”

“Excuse me, is Suou-san here?” 

Before Tsukasa had any time to answer Hajime’s question, one of the younger magicians approached them with a piece of paper in his hands. 

“The contract has been finalised by the guild counselor. She asked me to bring you there, so she can give you all the details about your job and when will you leave.”

“Ah, of course!” Tsukasa finished the tea fast. “Excuse me, but I’ll have to leave you now. Good luck on your finals.”

“Thanks, good luck to you too!”

As Tsukasa expected, last preparations were just formal and three days later, after exchanging his goodbyes with Tomoya and Hajime, he left the safe walls of the guild, going to Estaria by the train. For sure it was nice of the officials to get him a ticket for a ride considering how expensive it was - first rides started maybe three years ago, so it was a luxury many couldn’t afford. 

The view of Estaria took his breath away almost immediately - even though Alyora was an amazing place, Estaria gave him a feeling as if he went through a time machine. The rumors about high buildings scattered all around and the magic energy so strong he could sense it from the beginning were for sure real. Not all though, as there was no sight of things like flying vehicles, though he could notice delivery services or younger wizards flying around. 

“Excuse me, Suou-san!”

A girl’s voice caught his attention as he turned his head towards her. She was around his age, gazing at him with her gentle blue eyes. 

“Please forgive me my rudeness, I didn’t hear you before,” Tsukasa nodded his head, hoping that she wasn’t waiting for too long. “Anzu-san, am I right?” 

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” She giggled. “I've just arrived. Besides, it’s normal with newcomers. I hope you’re not disappointed about many rumors about this town, people are sometimes going a bit too far.”

She almost got him. Thank lord he didn't listen to every single one people in his class were talking about.

“No, I expected at least half of them to be false.” Tsukasa said that as he scratched his head, but truth to be told, he hoped about a little more than that… Well, it wasn’t a good idea to start judging so soon, there was still a lot to see. 

“I’m sure you’ll enjoy your stay. Should I take you around before we’ll meet with the royal magician? Of course, your luggage first. You should try one of the tea houses or the cafes, these are becoming popular these days.”

“I’d be glad to, but shouldn’t I meet the royal magician first?” 

Tsukasa was sure that would be the first thing to check. Unlike cities like New Zarya, where the lords were taking care of magicians personally, Estaria had the main royal magician, whose job was to guide the authorities and supervise younger mages. He didn’t learn that much about the current one - only that he was a man named Sakuma - as Anzu was the person who was supposed to meet. He couldn’t hide his curiosity about what kind of a grand man he was, that’s how much he wanted to meet him and thank him for the opportunity. 

“Ah, he might be, how should I put it…” A grimace appeared on Anzu’s face. “You know what, maybe yes, we should get him first. He promised me he would wake up for once and I’m going to check if he kept his word.” 

Tsukasa asked if Anzu didn’t mind walking instead of using teleports in the middle of the town and luckily for him, she agreed on that. They’ve spent a pleasant time chatting, while Anzu showed him around a bit during their small trip to the shop, where the royal magician should be waiting for them. 

Anzu for sure was a nice person, so when she mentioned she was hired as a helper in the same place not that long time ago, Tsukasa was more than pleased. 

“...The point is, I’m not a magician or anything, I’m just helping... I know more about tailoring, sadly. Though I hope this will change soon.”

As she said that, she pushed the door of the shop as they arrived, showing the entire place. A fine smell of mixed herbs reached his nostrils, reminding him of his room during sleepless nights of testing back in the guild, making him smile under his nose. 

“There is a residential part on the first floor, you can leave your belongings there,” Anzu showed him around. “The main workshop is on the back on the ground floor, Ritsu-san should be there. Or at least I hope so.”

“I am… Or at least I _was_ , I finished~ I need water...”

Anzu sighed with relief, only to jump and run towards the man that left the workshop slowly, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. Anzu gave him a pair of glasses, which he put on his nose, blinking three times.

"That's why I told you to start earlier..." Anzu crossed her arms. "And when I wanted to help you, you kicked me out." 

"It was late and you almost overworked youself during day... Nacchan would kill me for keeping you any longer."

Tsukasa stared at him, dumbfounded. That _couldn’t_ be a royal magician, considering his outfit was somewhat simple, slightly too big for him and his sloppy posture. He could say he was maybe his rank... Or a lazy professor who was working during nights. At best.

But a _royal magician_? No way.

After Anzu gave him a cup of water, the black-haired man moved towards him, so Tsukasa could see his face at close range. If not his posture and bored expression, he would say he was quite good-looking. The thing that gave Tsukasa an unpleasant spin in his stomach were his crimson red eyes. 

“Huh~ So, this is a new alchemist…” He took off the glasses, which disappeared in the thin air and nodded his head. “You have a nice aura around you, so I expect the best~ I’ll be your supervisor, Sakuma Ritsu. Nice to meet you.”

 _Oh_.

He really was the royal magician. 

“S-Suou Tsukasa, likewise.” Tsukasa bowed his head, knowing that no matter what his thoughts about him were, Sakuma still deserved his respect. 

“Mhm. I don’t feel like staying in here for any longer… Do you mind taking care of the shop for about an hour by yourself?” Ritsu gazed at Anzu. “I’m thirsty and I want some tea~ Will check the documents as well.”

Anzu sighed, but nodded her head, then gave him a small package filled with documents. 

“Please don’t stay away for too long. Last time you did I almost got in trouble…”

“I promise I won’t, I just want to talk with our new kid~ And if something happens, try to contact me or Tsukippi via telepathy, you should be able to do that after our last lesson. Do you want the usual from the tea house?” 

“Yes, please!” 

Even though Tsukasa knew them for maybe ten minutes, he already sympathised with Anzu. She said before she wasn’t a magician herself, so asking her to stay in an alchemist workplace by herself was quite the challenge. What was Sakuma even thinking?

Ritsu didn’t let him speak his mind as he moved towards the exit, waving his hand and asking Tsukasa to follow him. Just as the sun hit their faces without mercy, Ritsu waved his hand and grabbed something in the air, which turned into a hat. They didn’t talk much until they arrived in one of the tea houses which was located not so far from the shop, about ten minutes of walking away. 

“This one’s on me, take whatever catches your eye.” 

While they were waiting for the waiter to bring their order, Ritsu opened the envelope which contained all documents about Tsukasa’s studies. The young magician did his best to look as confident as he could, though his heart for sure was skipping a beat from time to time whenever a soft humming was reaching his ears. 

“I feel like I’ve heard your name before,” Ritsu mumbled under his nose, sending Tsukasa a curious look. “I’ll remember it sooner or later, you just have to give this old man time. Anyways, it’s pretty nice, that diploma of yours. Almost straight A’s, only one B in trickstery school. You got your specialisation in fourth year?” 

“Yes, I’ve been working with an upperclassman. Our professors saw our work and decided that my contribution was good enough and allowed me to be tested as an alchemist one year before,” Tsukasa responded with a proud smile. Ironically, he’s never expected it to happen, but thanks to it, he had one class less during his last year, so he tried to focus on much more interesting ones. "The details should be there."

Ritsu hummed under his nose again.

“Thank you for waiting, your order is complete! And a special for you, lord Ritsu. Eichi is sending his regards.”

The waiter appeared out of nowhere, putting their cups on a table, after which he passed a letter with a mysterious smile. 

“Ecchan still thinks about me, how cute of him~” Ritsu chuckled softly. “Thank you. Remind him about my last package if he didn’t check yet.” 

“Fufu, I’m more than sure the answer is waiting for you in this letter. May you enjoy your tea, gentlemen!”

Tsukasa managed to nod his head, even though this short exchange was more than enough to confuse him, and for a good reason. He disliked the way that man called Ritsu ‘a lord’, because it meant they either had a strange relationship, or something much worse in his book. 

“Don’t worry about him, that’s very Hibiki of him to confuse new people,” Ritsu couldn’t stop grinning at Tsukasa upon seeing his face. “Anyway, your final scores are nice and stuff, but I don’t care that much about them. Practice will show your real skill - and be aware that I’m not the kindest teacher, so be prepared.”

His tone had a teasing, somewhat friendly tint, but Tsukasa took it as a challenge.

“Of course. I will show you that I am more than ready to meet your expectations. May I ask though, if you do not mind - why a ‘lord’?” 

“Old blood have the tendency to call each other like that, I guess he caught it after spending too much time with Ecchan.”

Good thing Tsukasa didn’t grab the cup or else it would end up on a floor fast. He took a deep breath, noticing how fast his heart reacted after hearing “old blood”. 

“Going back to the topic, you’ll start from tomorrow. Anzu will be your helper, don’t hesitate to ask her about anything, she knows the shop you’ll be working in,” Ritsu hid the documents in the envelope and took a sip. “And if you’ll need my help, you can either contact me telepathically or call me, there’s a phone in your workplace. Just pay in mind I’m mostly asleep during daytime and I don’t like being bothered.”

Tsukasa rubbed his finger on the cup’s handle as he stared at Sakuma in silence, fighting with his mind. He had to expect it, many great magicians weren’t humans after all, and he was doing his best to ignore it, but his past always was biting him anyway. 

“Rittsu~!” 

Tsukasa blinked twice and almost jumped from his seat, while Ritsu sighed and twisted his head to the redhead that appeared out of nowhere next to him. As a way to pretend he was calm, Tsukasa took a sip from the cup.

“Too loud…” 

“It must be a special day since you’re awake at this hour! A date, maybe?” 

And as fast, the young magician choked upon hearing such a bold statement, while Ritsu started giggling. Where the hell did that come from? 

“Nah, you’re going too far, that’s the new alchemist. Keep down your imagination or he’ll die on his first day and I’ll make you pay for it~”

“Eh, you haven't mentioned there's a new kid?” The redhead jumped towards Tsukasa, his emerald eyes sparkling as if he was a child staring at a new toy. “You’re quite good looking, aren’t you~ Naru was talking a lot about someone, was that you?” 

“She was talking about two magicians, to be honest,” Ritsu sent Tsukasa an apologising gaze. “But yeah, that’s Suou.” 

“Mhm, mhm! But anyways, you should tell me earlier, we’ll have to greet him properly and celebrate it!” 

No, you don’t have to. He didn’t want to bother them.

“...Tsukippi, your order is waiting and Hibiki is staring at you. And it’s creepy. Do something with that.”

Out of curiosity, Tsukasa looked at the waiter, whose smile was technically just as friendly as before, but with that small hint of impending doom screaming 'Could you _please_ stop making fuss in here?', making him shiver. ‘Tsukippi’, on the other hand, just spun around and moved towards him, grinning. 

“Wahaha, good, good! Thank you, I love you! You and your tea, it’s incredible!”

“Just go~ Bye bye...”

As the redhead left them, Sakuma sighed heavily and fell on the table, hiding his head in his hands. 

“A-Are you okay, Sakuma-san?” 

“Call me by my name. And no, I’m not... “ Ritsu mumbled with an almost squeaky voice, glaring at Tsukasa behind his arms. “I was supposed to check you, get a nice cup of tea and go to sleep, but people are bothering me, my last remains of energy are gone… Anzu, you bully~ To ask me to stay the entire night and then the entire morning, that’s beyond cruel.”

No, it’s just you being lazy, Tsukasa thought, but kept this deep in his mind, not willing to be that rude on his first day. Truth to be told, he was getting just as tired with all those people coming in and out, but at least he spent a few hours in a loud train, unlike Sakuma. 

“We can take our leave then, unless there’s something we need to discuss…?” Tsukasa finished his tea. “Just remember you promised Anzu-san to take something for her.”

“Yep, thanks for reminding me. Mm, I’ll make sure you can reach the shop and we’re good. See, someone can be nice to me today, you’re scoring~”

  
  


Needless to say, this ‘relaxing’ tea time turned into a madness, and even after leaving, someone jumped on Ritsu when they were going back, but he said he’ll check it later.

The royal magician stayed in a shop for a couple of minutes, where he checked if everything was good, then wished Tsukasa good luck, leaving him and Anzu alone. The very moment the door closed, Tsukasa lost all his energy and fell down on a chair, grabbing his head. 

“A-Are you okay?” Anzu rushed to him and kneeled, patting his shoulder. “Do you need water?” 

“N-No, it’s just… Let’s say I did not expect this day to be this intense,” He raised his head, sending a weak smile. “Do you mind me asking you one question, Anzu-san?” 

“Go for it.”

“He’s an old blood, isn’t he?” 

“Yes. There’s quite a lot of them in Estaria, but most of them are busy and don’t wander around town earlier than midnight.” 

“What about you?” 

“Eh? Don’t worry, I’m a human!”

Tsukasa sighed with relief. At least he was safe in this building. Anzu raised his eyebrow and still offered him some water as they stayed until the evening. After Tsukasa closed the shop, Anzu went home. Finally able to think without fearing people noticing spacing away, Tsukasa moved upstairs and threw himself on a bed. 

The first day for sure was more than he expected and the people gave him a really pleasant vibe - even Ritsu, without counting his first bad impression of a sluggish professor rather than a proper royal magician - at least before he confirmed being an old blood. 

A higher vampire, huh... 

“Calm down, Suou Tsukasa,” He said to himself, taking a deep breath. “It’s the middle of the town. He cannot do anything to you.” 

He’ll get better with time, at least he hoped so, and if not… Well, Narukami-senpai was also there, so at least there was someone he could trust. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note there is a mention of alcohol and Izumi being a moron who doesn't know how to drink, but it's just a mention and the party ends up soon. 
> 
> Other than that, hello again, I am alive. And don't call me on the selection of familiars, it's me treating myself after hours and hours of lectures that make me want to lose my mind, all so you can read this beautiful mess of ritsukasa. Have fun!

With every day passing by, Tsukasa was slowly getting used to his new place in Estaria, finding personal peace. Thanks to Arashi, who got him in contact with her supervisors and therapists, Estaria quickly became his real home where he could relax easily. His job also turned out to be much more enjoyable than he had expected - the clients knew what they needed from him without having to explain everything one by one for hours.

And Ritsu? Tsukasa quickly found out that being his supervisor also meant Tsukasa turned into his helper of sorts, being dragged around Estaria with smaller tasks whenever he had no idea how to check his capabilities outside of a shop. Thanks to this though, he had a chance to meet many people, even such eccentrics as Tsukinaga Leo or the son of the current ruler of the city, Sena Izumi. 

To be honest though, Tsukasa wished he could forget about that one party Leo dragged him at after a month, wishing to get all of them closer with the new person in their small group. The beginning was somewhat refreshing, but soon enough, Izumi started complaining about the vampires, while Ritsu rolled his eyes. 

“Are you sure you are fine with me listening, Izumi-san?” Tsukasa asked, forcing a smile.

“Learn the dark part of Estaria,” Izumi said, sending him a cold gaze. “It’s not just fun and magic, vampires and Rebelia are always lurking.” 

“Don’t put us and Rebelia next to each other or I'll eat you alive, Secchan,” Ritsu pouted. “Ecchan keeps a strong hand on weaker ones on the other side of the city while I do the same here.” 

“In that case, your age is catching up on you. How the hell is it possible I get so many reports of attacks lately?” 

Vampire attacks were enough to make Tsukasa’s head dizzy as he massaged his left shoulder, but because he was in front of a potential future ruler and his supervisor, he tried to keep his head up, wishing he could just leave. Thankfully for him, Arashi noticed that soon enough and leaned closer.

“He might continue this for hours…” She whispered to him with a worried look. “Some of the details might make you dizzy. Let me handle this.”

“Ah… Please don’t worry. I don’t want to make a ruckus, so I’ll endure it.”

“Not on my watch. The rest will follow anyway, just watch it.”

Arashi winked at him, then she sent Leo a gaze, which for Tsukasa wasn’t anything that would- 

“Come on guys, this is boring and guess what, it’s all your fault as always, Sena!” Leo jumped at Izumi with a wide grin. “I know, I know~ You missed my songs so much you’ve become grumpy again. I got your back, my muse! Do you have any idea how many new notes I have noticed with Suo coming to this city? You could write for hours without break, wahaha!”

Okay, maybe there was something in Arashi’s gaze. Or Leo suddenly started reading minds by the music he’s supposed to see in the air. 

“I don’t and I don’t care.”

“Izumi-chan, darling, it’s beyond rude,” Arashi grabbed one of the bottles of wine. “I demand a duel for that. Good luck!” 

“Yup, I’m joining this fight!” Izumi let out a strange sound when Leo threw himself at him again. “Just wait for me to write a song about the future ruler-!”

“Write anything and I swear, I will send you to Yathor!” 

“Izumi-san, last time you also said something like this and we’re still fine...?” Even Anzu joined the Sena bullies squad with a smirk on her face. 

“Good luck, Secchan. Don’t come to me or Suuchan if you’ll end up wasted. And remember to sign me in for the next round of bullying him~” 

To Tsukasa's surprise, Ritsu got up from his seat and patted his shoulder.

“With all respect, but shouldn’t you-” Tsukasa raised his eyebrow.

“No no, Suu-chan, you don’t get it. It’s pretty much a sport here because nobody is such a bad drinker as Secchan. And he’s incredibly fun after a few drinks~” Ritsu laughed and gently took Tsukasa’s hand, which was still shaking a bit. “I’ll tell you later, I promise. Let’s go~”

“...Eh?”

Ritsu winked at him and Arashi before dragging him out of the party while the rest focused on finding out who would become the best at embarrassing Sena Izumi himself. They didn’t talk much as Ritsu brought him to the shop, saying that after this talk, he had to take care of things. 

“I promise this won’t happen again,” Tsukasa lowered his head. “And that it won’t affect my work.”

“Don’t worry about it~ I know enough to understand, you’ve got a good mom to worry about you,” Ritsu giggled. “Well, it’s not in my style to dwell into people’s troubles, so as long as this won’t be a problem, I’m fine with you.”

Thankfully, Tsukasa could keep his promise as nothing bad happened during the next month, so the young alchemist could focus on his job. Truth to be told though, he got interested in the attacks Izumi mentioned, so whenever he and Anzu had more time to talk during work, he was asking her if she knew something.

“It’s really strange if you ask me,” Anzu said as she continued mixing ingredients while Tsukasa kept an eye on her. “I mean, it’s not unusual… Younger vampires, such as Leo-san, can get aggressive when they don’t take good care of them, but both Eichi-san and Ritsu-kun are watching others as much as they can and force them to minimize the danger.”

“As some humans can’t follow the laws, I wouldn’t be surprised if vampires weren’t that much different,” Tsukasa sighed. “I think it’s enough. If you’ll mix it too much, one of the ingredients might stop working. Here, the bottles.”

“Oh, sorry!” Anzu grabbed both bottles and started pouring the mix.

They continued preparing more mixtures in silence, while Tsukasa used the chance to think about what she said to him - particularly about Leo. 

“I must say I didn’t expect Leo-san to be one,” He admitted after a while. “My condolences for Izumi-san.”

“Oh trust me, these two are fine. Well, it was an accident that forced Ritsu-san to do so… I don’t think they worry about it,” Anzu couldn’t stop giggling at first. “I remember Leo-san saying he can hear even more after the transformation, before that I’ve never heard him saying ‘oh, I can see music in the air!’ or anything like this.” 

“Isn’t that the case of his eyes and ears playing tricks on him, though?”

“I believe not. He’s a natural rune magician focused on nature and music.”

Huh… Rune magic was extremely hard to learn and even harder to master, especially how many specialties it was providing. To think Leo, a man who looked and behaved like a lunatic, could be one - maybe he wasn’t that much of a fool Tsukasa expected him to be, even though rune magicians always have been quite the eccentric group. He sighed heavily, staring at the window. 

“Is something wrong?” Anzu asked later, during their break.

“Ah, please don’t worry about that,” Tsukasa waved his hand. “I was thinking about my studies, nothing big.”

And how the geniuses were getting on his nerves sometimes, he added in his thoughts. Before Anzu had any time to ask about it a phone started ringing, getting them all up in a second thanks to how loud it was. 

“Hello, how can we help you?” Tsukasa answered, grabbing the notebook nearby. 

“Is Kuma-kun there?” 

“Good morning, Izumi-san. I’m afraid to say no. May I ask why are you calling the shop rather than Ritsu-san himself?” 

At this point, Tsukasa got used to the fact that whenever Izumi was calling in a hurry, he wasn’t even saying hello, but if it was only for asking about Ritsu, that was a different thing that got him curious. It wasn’t that early… He didn’t make him his personal secretary for real, did he?

“Do you think I didn’t try before?” Izumi hissed. “I kept calling for ten minutes. Ten minutes! He promised me we would get things fast and now he’s the one ignoring me.”

Anzu sent him a questioning look, so Tsukasa wrote a question if she knew where Ritsu was and showed it to her. She shook her head.

“Get him out or at least let me know what’s wrong with him,” Izumi demanded and hung up as soon as Tsukasa answered him. Anzu smiled softly and asked him to wait for a second as she moved to the other part of the shop, bringing a small bottle filled with a dark red liquid in it. 

“Mm… You might take this as well,” She said, giving it to Tsukasa. “I guess he’s either in the town already or still sleeping.”

“There weren't many troubles before. And why blood, of all things?” Tsukasa raised his eyebrow and massaged his left shoulder. “He’s not a type to starve, not with his attitude.”

“You’d be surprised, but lastly I wasn’t feeling well enough to donate. Before, he was asking other magicians working here or Eichi-san, but lately the deliveries were delayed, so maybe...” 

Tsukasa bit his lip, his hand still on his shoulder. He already told Izumi he would go to check Ritsu, but truth to be told, he didn’t like the possible vision of going to the starving vampire, all by himself. He looked at Anzu, who tilted her head, but soon enough he made up his mind. 

Ritsu wasn’t that bad. And he’d rather die in shame rather than ask a lady to risk herself. Worst case scenario, the royal mage might get burned a bit.

After making sure Anzu was good to take care of the shop, Tsukasa looked for the keys and created a portal to get around Ritsu’s home as fast as possible. While Ritsu allowed him to go in at any given time, Tsukasa preferred to appear right in front of his door, especially since Anzu even told him to take blood for safety precautions. 

Tsukasa knocked on the door, but as much as he expected, nobody answered him, so he used the keys to get in by himself. He couldn’t hear anything but the weak magical energy inside, so that meant either Ritsu or his familiar was inside. Moving towards one of the rooms, a black cat appeared and jumped at Tsukasa’s left leg, making him smile. 

“Don’t worry, it’s just me,” Tsukasa held up his hand, allowing the familiar to taste his magical energy. As soon as it recognized him, the cat let out his leg and put its head to Tsukasa’s hand, demanding some attention. Tsukasa let out a soft giggle. “Hehe, I’m glad to see you as well, but I need to see your master. Is he here?” 

The cat stared at him for a good second before meowing, then moved towards one of the rooms, so Tsukasa followed it. And bingo - Ritsu was there, sleeping as if nothing happened. The phone was on the ground under an incredible amount of pillows, so at least he heard Izumi calling him. 

“Ritsu-san,” Tsukasa moved closer, but still kept a safe distance between them, noticing Ritsu was even paler than usual. “I do acknowledge how much you dislike being disturbed in the morning, but Izumi-san cannot wait-” 

He couldn’t stop the sharp scream when Ritsu’s cold hand grabbed his wrist, trying to pull him closer. Tsukasa did his utmost best to fight him, grabbing the closest thing he could.

“Please stop this right now!” 

Upon hearing his voice, Ritsu stopped pulling him in, but he still didn’t insist on letting go of his hand entirely. Being closer, Tsukasa noticed differences in his appearance, making his heart skip a beat. Without thinking twice, he drew a magic circle with his free hand and pushed it right at Ritsu, pure energy turning into fire. Now Ritsu was the screaming one as he jumped from his bed and fell on the ground with a loud whump. 

“What the…” 

“Good morning, Ritsu-san,” Tsukasa took a deep breath, massaging his hand. “Rise and shine - and  _ please  _ keep your hands to yourself.” 

“Oi, you’re the one who attacked me…” Ritsu slowly raised his head, leaning it on the mattress, staring at Tsukasa with puffed cheeks. “Ah. I’m hungry…” 

Tsukasa stepped back, gulping. 

“Since they dared to send you to the lion’s den, it means they gave you something to feed me, am I right?” Ritsu closed his eyes. “I won’t bite you… The last thing I want to happen is a newbie dying from a heart attack...” 

“I, uh,” Tsukasa looked around, at first straight-up forgetting he had something until he managed to remind himself that in fact, Anzu gave him a bottle. “Y-yes, I do have something. Good enough?” 

His familiar was the one to take it from Tsukasa and deliver it to Ritsu, who drank the entire bottle in one gulp. Having enough strength he stood up and rubbed his eyes. The cat came back to Tsukasa and jumped at him, finding a comfortable spot on his shoulder.

“Thank you for the meal~ Ah, I promise I’m good now,” He raised his hands and moved closer, allowing Tsukasa to notice how his face slowly got more colors. “If you need something to calm down, I have a few mixtures.” 

“No, I’m good, thank you. Please think more about your responsibilities, you are a royal mage after all. Answering Izumi-san’s calls included.” 

“Right, right, I will~” Ritsu giggled, pointing at the cat who got so comfortable on Tsukasa’s shoulder and started rubbing its head to his cheek. “She likes you a lot.”

“I am delighted to know. She seems to be a bit more reliable than her magician as well,” Tsukasa couldn’t help but smirk. “Thank you very much for bringing me here, miss.”

“Eh, you’re laughing at me… I’ll tell Secchan you’re bullying your senior,” Ritsu pouted, moving towards the castle of pillows that was still blocking the phone. “Maybe he’ll allow me to bite you for being rude, Suuchan smells incredibly sweet today. Or maybe you’ve been spending all your money on desserts, hm?” 

“R-Ritsu-san!” 

“I’m kidding~ Nacchan would kill me painfully, I don’t wanna get such a pathetic end. Mind giving me a hand?” 

“Those are just pillows. Besides, I have my work to do, please be a proper civilian on your own,” Tsukasa sighed, crossing his arms. “All you have to do is pick up a phone and make a call. Where is my help needed, if I may know?” 

Ritsu couldn’t help but laugh as he picked up the phone and typed Izumi’s number. What intrigued Tsukasa however, he kept it far from his ear. 

“Hello?” 

“I’m awake, Se-”

“Goddamn finally, Kuma-kun!” 

Ah yes, right… It was a good idea to keep it far away. Ritsu sent him an amused gaze and waved his hand. 

“You must be a sadist for sending Suuchan here and I will punish you for bullying my student~” 

“And you must be a goddamn moron for forgetting things so easily you need a personal secretary,” Izumi growled back at him. “If you wanted one, go look for one and get another magician for the shop. And besides,  _ you _ wanted to talk with  _ me _ . I could just ignore your wish and straight up-” 

“Secchan, I know. Listen to me before you’ll do that or you’ll be the one fooling yourself. And you wanted my opinion anyway.” 

Any sign of amusement disappeared from his face. Seeing that it wasn’t a good idea to listen, Tsukasa lowered his head and created a portal, going back to his work.

Ritsu moved towards the window as soon as he left and looked outside.

“...There’s no reason to look for another magician for such trivial reasons, Secchan. Both me and Nacchan are against it.” 

Much to Tsukasa’s surprise, Ritsu called about an hour after he left him, asking if he was free this evening for a longer talk and informed him he’ll come soon after closing the shop. Tsukasa moved upstairs as soon as his work was done to clean a bit and prepare a tea before Ritsu’s arrival together with his familiar, small dragon. Ritsu arrived maybe five minutes after they finished and immediately took a seat, falling on the table with his face, clearly not in a mood even though it was pretty late. Tsukasa glared at him and sighed, then put a cup with tea right in front of him. 

“I smell something nice…” Ritsu slowly raised his head, but the way only his half-closed eyes were showing behind his arms made it actually cute, Tsukasa couldn’t help but smile. “Suuchan is still nice to me, even when I might bring bad news… I don’t feel good with this.” 

Tsukasa failed his fight not to laugh after the dragon landed on Ritsu’s head. 

“You’re laughing at me.” Ritsu pouted.

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Ritsu san.” 

He was. Of course he was.

“Rude- Eh, stop walking on my head, you’ll fall down… I promise I’ll be nice,” Ritsu raised his head for real now, reaching the familiar with his hands. “I still can’t believe you have a mini-dragon. It’s cute, but still, I expected something different~?”

“The legend of my family says that our ancestors were warriors brave enough to earn the dragon’s respect,” Tsukasa said with a proud voice and put his hand on his chest. “And no, before you’ll ask, we do not have any dragon blood in our veins. Please do not even try.” 

Ritsu nodded his head and after the dragon finally left him alone, he took a sip from the cup. 

“Better than I expected. Now I really want you as my cute assistant, you’re good at spoiling me.”

“Please take care of yourself without my help, you’re the older one here,” Tsukasa sighed. “Anyway. May I know what’s troubling you, Ritsu-san?” 

“I didn’t come to just sip tea, even if that would be much nicer... I’m trying to gather my thoughts before talking. Secchan got on my nerves.”

Ah, probably because of the talk they had earlier. Judging from how annoyed Izumi was, maybe they got into some sort of a fight? Ritsu put a cup on the table and leaned his chin on his hand, humming something under his nose for a sole minute before speaking. 

“Secchan wants you to step down from your position.” 

Tsukasa didn’t respond at first, freezing in his position while his mind was processing Ritsu’s words. 

“I… Excuse me?” 

“He’s not sure if you’re good enough to work directly for me.”

Tsukasa bit his lip, then took a deep breath. Calm down, Suou Tsukasa, he didn’t say he’s doing that yet. Ritsu wasn’t looking at him, nor he had any documents that would mean he’s firing you right this instant. 

“May I know if you agree with his reasoning as a royal mage?” 

“Not entirely, though I understand the reasons why he’s bothered. And if he’ll get desperate, he can just contact the council of magicians in this town, which will vote. If they decide that they agree, I won’t be able to do anything. I don’t think he’s bold enough to do it now though, so don’t think about it too much now.” 

Tsukasa blinked twice, still not entirely sure what to tell. Ritsu’s voice was somewhat calm even considering the topic was much more serious - well, at least for him. He tried to keep his posture straight while waiting for the reason as to why Izumi was ready to kick him out. As far as Tsukasa knew, he was doing his work perfectly. 

“How to say it, there is a part of you being my helper, which gets you close to more confidential data, more than other magicians - which was my decision by the way, even after checking you. I think Secchan is bothered by the fact you had contact with Rebelia in past, and so he-”

“Ritsu-san.”

Ritsu raised his eyebrow. 

“With all due respect for both of you,” Tsukasa furrowed his eyebrows. “But I will not forgive anyone for trying to step down on mine or my family’s honor by connecting us with Rebelia.” 

So many years and people still were trying to drag him down because of one night, that was beyond laughable at this point. Ritsu avoided looking at his face, gazing somewhere behind him. 

“Trust me, I get it,” Ritsu scratched his head, looking a bit lost. “I promise I talked with him long enough to point out every single reason as for why he shouldn’t talk nonsense. But there was an accident that made him extremely wary of anyone who even talked to them once, so I also understand why he’s nervous.”

“Please tell him that by any means he has to worry about me in this regard. I would never work with criminals.”

Just thinking about them was enough for Tsukasa’s stomach to twist. 

“This is enough to keep you here, but there’s another thing that just worries both me and Nacchan.” Ritsu nodded his head with a serious face.

“May I know what?” 

“Your fear and lack of trust to vampires,” He sighed, tapping the table with his finger. “Not because of chances of being against us, I’m talking about any situation where you or something close to you get attacked. I’ve seen you reacting to me being slightly transformed after knowing me for weeks. And, well… We expect magicians to react if any vampire gets out of hand because there are cases when especially new blood need help in calming down.”

So, in the end, his damned past was still keeping him on the verge of normal life, even after so many years. Was it really this strong he couldn’t even keep being just a simple magician? Of course, Tsukasa desired much, much more. He wished to use all his life, so in one day, he’d master more than just alchemy. The sad truth was, vampires were everywhere magic goes, trying to get rid of one meant tossing out the other. Tsukasa clenched his fists, trying to keep his head cool. He was still in love with Estaria and his current job and he didn't want want to give up on his dreams, no matter how hard it was thanks to his fears. 

“I will not give up this easily.” 

Ritsu looked at him. 

“It is true I have a problem when it comes to cooperating with your kind,” Tsukasa admitted. “My therapists said it will take time, but it’s something we can work with. If I can be given a chance, I will show both you and Izumi-san that my worries won’t affect my work, even with vampires around.” 

Ritsu didn’t answer him at first, finally finding the strength to look at the younger magician’s face, making Tsukasa’s heart go much faster than it was supposed to. Of course, in the end, he wasn’t the one to decide - now he hoped he didn’t annoy his supervisor into changing his mind. It took a few seconds for Ritsu to start laughing, leaving Tsukasa completely speechless as he blinked at him.

“I wish Secchan was here so I could see his reaction,” Ritsu rubbed his eye with the back of his hand and gently patted Tsukasa’s head. “It’s good to hear you’re not giving up, I’m quite relieved to hear it~ Young people sure have a lot of energy, I want some of it.” 

Tsukasa had to say he didn’t expect him to be this happy, Ritsu wasn’t even hiding this. He still had a hard time grasping what in reality was happening in his mind, what he was thinking about… Even his actions weren’t enough to take a guess. Ritsu was a strange person in his eyes, doing whatever he wanted to no matter what consequences it would bring. But maybe the reason why it was this hard was the fact Tsukasa still feared trusting him too much to learn more about him. 

“I’m tired of watching people come in and out for stupid reasons,” Ritsu said after a bit. “You’re inexperienced, but good enough, leave the rest to the experience you’ll get while working. Besides, Tsukippi likes you, Anzu enjoys your lessons and Nacchan thinks very highly of you. I talked with her and her supervisor who’s in charge of your therapy. they agreed this city is a good place for you. Looking for new magicians is going to be a much bigger pain in the ass… And besides, I like my assistant.” 

“Please don’t tell me this is one of your reasons why you want me to stay here.” 

“Eh, are you kidding me?” Ritsu pouted. “Suuchan is taking good care of me… He brings me food, reminds me of important things, makes me tea sometimes, comes to wake me up… I’ll forget about you trying to roast me today. I can at least do something for you in exchange of being nice to me~”

Maybe Izumi was right that Ritsu required an assistant, but for the love of gods, to pick him as one - he really needed to start getting serious about his work.

“You can’t erase your past and you shouldn’t, but nobody said you can’t work on it,” Ritsu stood up and moved towards the window. “I can help you with vampires from the practice part, leave theories and talk to Nacchan. I’ve noticed both biting and our true form scare you the most, so by slowly getting used to them, you’ll have an easier time not to panic, I think…?” 

“I-I mean, right…” Tsukasa scratched his neck. “Might work.” 

As much as he could tell Ritsu genuinely was offering help, the vision itself was enough to make his heart skip a beat. 

“Are you sure you want to give me your time, though?” Tsukasa asked with a weaker voice. “As much as the amount of time you sleep is insane, I know you’re busy when awake.” 

“I can plan everything. Stop treating me like a child that can’t do anything,” Ritsu sighed. “It’s not like I’m going to do it every single day either… You’ll need time to rest after drinking your blood so Anzu won’t be forced into taking care of the shop alone. As for showing you the real form, we could connect it to me training you in magic, I’m a battlemage specialist… If you want, I mean.”

A battlemage. 

It was enough to spark a small fire in Tsukasa’s eyes. It was the second type he wished he could be better while he was studying, but because of his alchemist speciality, he had no time to learn more about it than basics. 

“Could you?” Tsukasa asked, almost jumping from his seat. “Ah, I mean- I’d be delighted, Ritsu-san.” 

“Good, good~” Ritsu smirked at him. “I’m a tough teacher, though. Be ready to step into hell if you want to learn more. So? Are you up for a fight, Suou Tsukasa?”

He couldn’t help but smile upon hearing how Ritsu put it - because for him, it really was a fight for a better future. To finally show he’s capable of becoming a battlemage, to defeat the darkness that was still deep in his heart, Tsukasa didn’t want to give up. 

“I’ll be in your care, Ritsu-san.”

Crying in the corner wasn’t in his style. It was time to swear an oath to fight the demons back to the darkness, tearing apart for the sake of the future he desired the most. Be it human or vampire, if one wants to help, he shall take their hand and showcase his true will of fighting befitting the member of Suou family.


End file.
